Scion-ara —

Toyota calls time on Scion sub-brand

It attracted new customers, but from model year 2017 the cars will be Toyotas.

The C-HR concept car was shown off at last year's LA Auto Show. It's still going into production but will be branded as a Toyota.

Jonathan Gitlin

One of Scion's early successes, the xB. The car is affectionately known as the Toaster.

Scion

Scion recruited a fair number of artists to make art cars. This xD was made for the 2007 SEMA show by Dalek.

Scion

Blaine Fontana designed this mini RV version of the xB for SEMA in 2008.

Scion

Kenton Parker's 2008 SEMA car turned an xB into a taco truck.

Scion

OK, it's not all concept and art cars. Toyota and Subaru collaborated on a new rear-wheel drive sports car. Sold in some markets as the Toyota 86 or GT86, in the US it was branded as the Scion FR-S (there's also a Subaru version called the BRZ).

Scion

One of the 2016 Scions that will soon be a 2017 Toyota, the iM.

Scion

Japanese car companies have been experimenting with US-market sub-brands for quite a while now. Toyota arguably owns the trend—and the most successful example—with Lexus, which rebranded Japanese-market Toyotas like the Soarer and Camry with a side helping of added luxury. Others followed suit (Nissan and Infiniti—Honda and Acura actually predated Lexus by three years), and Toyota tried it for a second time with Scion, a sub-brand aimed at the young. Today, the company announced that Scion is no more.

“Scion has had some amazing products over the years and our current vehicles are packed with premium features at value prices,” said Andrew Gilleland, Scion vice president. “It’s been a great run and I’m proud that the spirit of Scion will live on through the knowledge and products soon to be available through the Toyota network.”

In addition to more youth-oriented cars, Scion also let Toyota experiment with ideas like no-haggle pricing and a slimmed-down options list (not to be confused with the huge number of accessories for personalizing one's car).

Model year 2017 Scions (including the C-HR concept we saw in LA) are to be rebadged as Toyotas, with the exception of the tC coupe, which ceases production this August. Servicing for existing Scion customers will continue through Toyota's service departments.